LOS ANGELES _ While recording a podcast Tuesday at Loyola Marymount, Los Angeles Lakers co-owner Jeanie Buss was asked a question by the moderator about coach Luke Walton that began "if he were to be the coach going forward ..."
Buss jumped in without waiting for him to finish, laughing uncomfortably as she answered.
"I'm not gonna answer that question," she said.
So the interviewer tried again, offering that Walton is someone Buss has faith in.
"Of course, of course," Buss said on the podcast called the Sports Business Radio Road Show. "I think he's a hard worker and somebody that players gravitate towards. He's done an incredible job under a lot of challenging circumstances."
As the Lakers season nears its close, Walton's fate is the most talked about topic. LeBron James, Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and Josh Hart are finished playing for the season, maybe Kyle Kuzma too, and president of basketball operations Magic Johnson has said Walton is safe through the season.
What happens after the season? Walton has two years left on his contract and has enjoyed Buss' confidence throughout his tenure. Two years ago, Buss said she imagined Walton as the coach of the Lakers for more than a decade. During Tuesday's taping, she also spoke highly of Walton.
"Luke has always been somebody that _ he came to the Lakers as a rookie," Buss said of a team that featured Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal. "The last year of Shaq and Kobe. He kind of bridged two Lakers teams in the Shaq-Kobe era and what you would call the Kobe-Pau (Gasol) era. He is somebody I think who doesn't even realize what a natural he is and that leadership that he has in terms of getting people connecting with people in all ages. I think he's done a terrific job."
While Buss declined to discuss Walton's job security head on, she did offer some hints about how a decision-making process might go in talking about her relationship with Johnson.
"We're as tight as any two people, any two executives," Buss said. "We've got a mission and a purpose of what we're trying to do and we're not done yet but I think we're going in the right direction. In terms of basketball decisions, I will always defer to Magic."
